*** The 2010 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Apok]

How possible is proper bulking without being able to attend a gym?

Being jobless atm i really can't afford or justify paying a gym membership.

 

[Clipsey]

Here's a question:
Other people's mistakes at the gym - do you correct them?
i.e. Going halfway on a squat, swinging their back on 'bicepz', lifting their head up with their hands on situps etc
We're all pretty clued up on here, but do you go around giving friendly advice telling what people to do?

I usually don't but feel like I should. I feel like I'd be coming across as some 'know it all' or whatever.
Views?

 

[BennyC]

How possible is proper bulking without being able to attend a gym?

Being jobless atm i really can't afford or justify paying a gym membership.

Yep, totally do-able providing you can afford the calories. There's lot of exercises you can do around the house or with minimal investment in equipment.

Here's a question:
Other people's mistakes at the gym - do you correct them?
i.e. Going halfway on a squat, swinging their back on 'bicepz', lifting their head up with their hands on situps etc
We're all pretty clued up on here, but do you go around giving friendly advice telling what people to do?

I usually don't but feel like I should. I feel like I'd be coming across as some 'know it all' or whatever.
Views?

Used to, occasionally do if I see someone really struggling and looking confused. However if they look quite confident in their incorrect form they are most likely stuck in their ways.

It depends really how I feel. One thing that makes my stomach turn is people rolling their shoulders foward/back for shrugs grinding away their shoulder girdles.

Minor pointers for form normally I'll leave it. If they're being a danger to others I'll usually step in.

Usually why most people partial squat is because they're either ego tripping, lack flexability or find it uncomfortable and/or difficult which is a combination of inflexability & ego.

It's really not hard to google how to do an exercise and get an idea of if you're doing it right or not which is exactly how I taught myself.

 

[Freefaller]

No - well not anymore.

If people want advice they often come to me. In fact lots of people come to ask me questions these days which is nice. However, I don't stick my nose in other people's business anymore, I'd rather save my breath for my sets. If they want to rubbish form I let them. I only step in if I think they're about to injure themselves or someone else.

 

[MoNkeE]

What would people recommend for a good shoulder work out? I'm not bored of mine yet, just wondering if I should change anything. I currently do:
Dumbell Military Press
Arnold Press
Shrugs
Upright Rows

Altho I'd be tempted to sometimes swap the upright rows out for doing a superset of front and lateral extensions, as well as rear extensions.

 

[TommyV]

What would people recommend for a good shoulder work out? I'm not bored of mine yet, just wondering if I should change anything. I currently do:
Dumbell Military Press
Arnold Press
Shrugs
Upright Rows

Altho I'd be tempted to sometimes swap the upright rows out for doing a superset of front and lateral extensions, as well as rear extensions.

i'd reccomend doing the shrugs last ma,te i beleive upright rows activate your traps, as well as your lateral delts (could be talking rubbish here), and doing shrugs before hand may affect that exercise which is more of a 'compound' per say movement.

I'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong (although it makes sense in my head, atleast!)

 

[TommyV]

Do any of you get much hatred for working out.

I nipped out in a tight fitting tee and got the full range of comments, made for an interesting afternoon, some very jealous and sad lads out there

One lass said, christ he's massive

Wore a shirt last night which i've 'grown' into, for that reason it does not close properly, so wore a low-cut V neck underneath.

Got called 'buff' a couple of times from seperate girls, one claimed I had huge arms (although they are really not), and one guy got all defensive around me, and started claiming he benched 170kg (bearing in mind, he came upto me drunk..i'm not an arse like that and have NO point to prove to anyone)

Generally speaking, being asked if you play rugby is always a compliment though

It's amazing how having just a little size (as said i'm in no way this huge guy or anything to that degreee, maybe one day!) people are quick to point it out, when I have my 4pm feed, people always mention 'he's on his second lunch guys' giving me scrutiny for it!

 

[BennyC]

Monkee:

Shoulder workout:

BB Press standing or seated. Behind the neck if you're comfortable with it. No lock out. pyramid down from 15/16 reps over 3 sets to 10/12 reps.

Seated Side Laterals. 3 Sets light weight, pulling up from the elbows, hands internally rotated at the top. aim for high reps 15-20

Seated Horizontal front raise. Basically a front raise but seated and with your upper body as parrallell to the floor as possible. kicks in the rear delt. If this doesn't work for you just do some other alternative rear raise.

Then maybe supersets a press & raising movement. (Arnies with some side lateral, or maybe an upright row to warm your traps but also hit your lateral delts a bit more too)

Finish with your shrugs.

Should see you pritty spent.

That's basically my new shoulder routine. Read an article about shoulders and how frequently they're used requiring high volume, similar to legs, to get them to respond to growth and also being hit with a wide variety of exercises and lots of different angles.

Try to limit assisting/secondary muscle movements and no cheat reps!

Edit: Forgot to add 20-30second rests

 

[Clipsey]

As you're already doing a 4 day split, I'd avoid doing shoulders same day as chest. As benny mentioned it they really need a lot of attention

 

[B1C3P]

^My side delts personally respond a lot better to lower reps. High reps gives me a pump but idea is for mass building. Different strokes for different folks, but personally on ANY exercise I never really go over 8-10 reps.

I understand the high volume ideology but I'd use that more of a shock treatment. I've always lived by heavy weight = more size and if im getting stronger im getting bigger and it's never failed for me personally.

 

[Supercow]

I'm sure you guys hate these types of questions - so at least I didn’t start a new thread, but decided to ask in here in stead
I need you to spec me a Gym Routine, for a beginner that would like results and won’t mind working hard for it.

So I loved using my Kettlebell and achieved my target weight (I’m 5.9” and think my ideal weight is 80KG as I’m of a stocky build and look ill any less than 78kg) and I started to work on my physique, to try and build specific areas but unfortunately I broke my arm and had to leave the bell alone for yonks.
Now that the arm’s healed up its winter time and I can’t stand outside in my garden doing my routines. I also can’t do it indoors, because we just had a baby and the house is just too full and I have no space left!

Since then I have gone and gained 5kg of body fat again due to pure laziness and drinking.
I want to join the local gym to become “bigger” while yet at the same time losing body fat. Areas that I would love to get bigger are arms/shoulders/lats etc.
I surf, therefore need a lot of upper body strength and I also do downhill mountain biking, therefore need a lot of upper body strength also with explosive energy with the ability to recuperate on the go.

Generally my diet is impeccable and I know what to eat and what not to eat… I just need to be more consistent (5/7 days I’m a saint… the rest not so much  and I drink too much too, which I plan to stop)

I figured that I should have something like 1 day cardio, 1 day Tabata + “Heavy Lifting” Lift the next and alternate these days between eachother.
Does that sound like a good plan?
Can anyone suggest to me a good Lifting routine?

edit: I just ready Gordy R's sticky- that routine seems like a good starting point?

 

[BennyC]

^My side delts personally respond a lot better to lower reps. High reps gives me a pump but idea is for mass building. Different strokes for different folks, but personally on ANY exercise I never really go over 8-10 reps.

I understand the high volume ideology but I'd use that more of a shock treatment. I've always lived by heavy weight = more size and if im getting stronger im getting bigger and it's never failed for me personally.

I can agree on certain exercises heavy weight low reps does the trick but I think I can speak for most people when I say isolating the medial heads is quite hard. Even learning decent form to focus on contracting with primarily the specific one you wish to target.

Like legs they're used so much throughout the day, probaly more so in some cases that endurance workouts and volume will shock growth into them. Volume workouts for my legs worked wonders so hopefully they can do the same for my shoulders.

Of course mixing it up is essential and I will from time to time train areas heavy that I would normally light and vica versa.

 

[MoNkeE]

Dammit, I'd already left for the gym by the time you posted so it'll have to wait til next week now! Few questions for you though, if I may

BB Press standing or seated. Behind the neck if you're comfortable with it. No lock out. pyramid down from 15/16 reps over 3 sets to 10/12 reps.

When you pyramid down, do you also add more weight? I'm assuming yes! Also, any reason for using a BB rather than DB? I'm bit of a DB whore you see!

Seated Horizontal front raise. Basically a front raise but seated and with your upper body as parrallell to the floor as possible. kicks in the rear delt. If this doesn't work for you just do some other alternative rear raise.

I don't understand this one. By upper body being parrallel to the gorund, do you mean lying down on a bench?

Then maybe supersets a press & raising movement. (Arnies with some side lateral, or maybe an upright row to warm your traps but also hit your lateral delts a bit more too)

If this was FaceBook, I'd Like the **** out of this paragraph. I ****ing love supersets, and ****ing love Arnold Press; mixing the two together with some upright rows sounds all sorts of awesome. However, should I go for volume (ie 10 - 12 of each) or weight; I normally aim for 3x8 when doing Arnies?

Finish with your shrugs.

I assume Shrugs are an essential part of a shoulder work out then! Bit gutted as I ran out of time to do these last night as I had to meet my mates for a swim. Trying to train for a triathlon for next year; but I can't really swim! One length fine, but any more and I'm absolutely knackered. Just a lack of any good technique, so I'm working on it

 

[TommyV]

Over the moon this morning, having been 12/10/8 for a month, had a 8/8/8 session

- Flat press 42kg/44kg/46kg DB's, fancied giving the 50's a crack (for the first time ever!) and managed 4 solid reps, one of which were assisted
- Flat fly 28kg DB's
- Inclne press 38kg/40kg/42kg
- Incline Fly 24kg DB's

Am pumped to hopefully put another stone on before end of my bulk (feb/march time!)

 

[BennyC]

Dammit, I'd already left for the gym by the time you posted so it'll have to wait til next week now! Few questions for you though, if I may

You may.

When you pyramid down, do you also add more weight? I'm assuming yes! Also, any reason for using a BB rather than DB? I'm bit of a DB whore you see!

Yeah increase the weight as you decrease the reps. No real reason which ever works best for you. I find with DB's my traps work overtime (though I don't use a backrest) . A bar I can really focus the contraction and place the load over the delts as the traps aren't, for me, recruited as much. Although DB's should offer a bigger ROM and more intense contraction if done properly. Could save the BB for the superset.

Basically any pressing movement for your anterior delts here will be fine. Big ROM, but stop at the bottom of the rep before you loose the tension and again stop at the top before lockout so it's constant tension.

I don't understand this one. By upper body being parrallel to the gorund, do you mean lying down on a bench?

Yes in effect that's the position your upper body needs to be, or on a slight incline. If you've got a high bench that gives you ground clearance then by all means try them lying down. Basically if you keep your arms in the position that you would finish over head press in with a slight bend in the elbows, slightly wider than shoulder wdith. See how internally rotating your wrists feel, if it kicks the rear delt more do it. Pritty much want to finish the top of the rep so that if someone looked down on you it looks like a 'Y'. I found just sitting on the end of a bench and then putting my chest on the knees worked well for positioning.

If this was FaceBook, I'd Like the **** out of this paragraph. I ****ing love supersets, and ****ing love Arnold Press; mixing the two together with some upright rows sounds all sorts of awesome. However, should I go for volume (ie 10 - 12 of each) or weight; I normally aim for 3x8 when doing Arnies?

You could vary your shoulder workouts on a weekly/fornightly basis. So do some heavy and some light and base all your reps on whatever the workout (volume/strength).

I found upright rows with overhead press for a double superset to be absolutley brutal.

Arnies and seated side laterals would be pritty killer.

You could also do a tri or giant sets:

Overhead/shoulder press, Upright row/shrugs, side laterals.

DB shoulder press no backrest, powercleans/upright row, facepulls/horizontal front raise, seated side laterals, front raise.

1 giant set should be enough, maybe 2 tri-sets.

I assume Shrugs are an essential part of a shoulder work out then! Bit gutted as I ran out of time to do these last night as I had to meet my mates for a swim. Trying to train for a triathlon for next year; but I can't really swim! One length fine, but any more and I'm absolutely knackered. Just a lack of any good technique, so I'm working on it

Shrugs I used to do on my shoulder day too. However I've now moved them to my back day as the traps are a big 'diamond' shape coming down inbetween the shoulder blades. And so to me are more a part of my back than they are shoulders. I'n my experience and using my logic shrugs won't do much for actual shoulder development (I may well be wrong).

When I do my shrugs I lean slightly foward and shrug up but also slightly back. Leaning foward makes shrugging slightly back a natural part of the movement and it also takes pressure of your spine and engages your core more. I find this up and back movement easiest with DB's but be sure not to flex your elbows as you do the movment.

If you need anything else explaining just shout.

 

[TommyV]

Benny, did you find Deadlifts have helped your traps 'pop out'?

Would training Traps with shoulders & doing deadlifts be overtraining them do you think?

 

[Freefaller]

Any shoulder workout should include some cable side raises - keeps the tension on at all times and just helps get that shape and side head working.

Shrugs and arnies supersetted together work well too.

Then we go onto push press or just barbell presses which just rock - hard.

 

[BennyC]

Benny, did you find Deadlifts have helped your traps 'pop out'?

Would training Traps with shoulders & doing deadlifts be overtraining them do you think?

They pop out during the lift of course

I think they contributed to their development yep. I don't think there's a specific exercise that is entirely reponsible for them. Funnily enough I get the biggest and best trap pumps from DB shoulder press with no backrest!

Nah tbh that's more or less what I do. Deadlifts are more or less a static contraction so it should be fine. Though it all depends on your volume and intensity. On my back session I'll start with DL's then do all my other movements and then finish up with a couple of sets of shrugs.

 

[MoNkeE]

Benny that's absolutely invaluable mate, cheers a lot. I'm going to save all of this information for Monday's work out

Doing Back and Tri's tonight as per your workout suggestion in t'other thread. Think I'm going to drop the close grip pull ups for a bit of lat pull down tonight as I don't normally do that (usually do wide grip pull up and close grip afterwards).

[Edit] Oh that's what I was going to ask. What's the advantage of using no back rest when doing DB press? I always normally use a back rest you see. [/Edit]

 

[Freefaller]

MAkes you use stricter form as you have to use your core more - you'll have to drop the weight too (potentially) as you won't have a back rest to push against.